Written answers

Tuesday, 31 March 2015

Department of Education and Skills

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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571. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if and when required special needs educational supports will be provided in the case of a child of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12923/15]

Photo of Jan O'SullivanJan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs and addtional care needs respectively. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support.

The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support.

Details of the resource teaching and SNA allocations which have been made to each school for 2014/15 are available on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie.

In addition, all schools have been allocated additional teaching resources to cater for children with high incidence special educational needs.

It is a matter for schools to monitor and utilise their allocation of additional teaching support to best support the needs of identified pupils, in accordance with my Department's guidance. The teaching time afforded to each individual pupil is decided and managed by schools, taking into account each child's individual learning needs.

The deployment of SNAs within schools is a matter for the individual Principal/Board of Management. SNAs should be deployed by the school in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of the children enrolled in the school for whom SNA support has been allocated. It is a matter for schools to allocate support as required, and on the basis of individual need, which allows schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised.

All schools have been asked to apply to the NCSE for resource teaching and SNA support for the 2015/16 school year by 18th March, 2015.

The NCSE will consider all applications which have been made by schools, following which allocations will be made to qualifying schools.

All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Schools who wish to appeal the level of SNA allocation which has been made to them may do so via the appeals process which is set out at www.ncse.ie

Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.

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